Italian Sausage and Vegetables with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Chuck_Roast's Note:

Inspired by Mean-Chef's gorgonzola sauce recipe (only easier) and a dish I had at a great little Italian restaurant in Albany, NY.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

Sauce ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• 8 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups milk (skim is ok)
• 1 pint cream (light Cream or half and half is ok)
• 8 ounces gorgonzola , crumbled
• ½ cup parmesan cheese , grated
• 6 cloves garlic , minced
• salt & fresh ground pepper

Main Ingredients

• 6 cloves garlic , sliced
• 2 medium sweet onions , coarsely chopped
• 3 medium bell peppers , julienned (green, red, and yellow or any combination you prefer)
• 1 ½-2 lbs Italian sausages , cooked and cut in 1 inch pieces on the bias.
• 1 lb asparagus , cooked al dente (optional)
• 1 lb portabella mushroom , sliced and pre-sauteed (optional)
• 1 ½ lbs penne pasta , cooked per direction on package (Mini-penne's are a good choice)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning (or substitute basil and oregano)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add minced garlic to sauce pan cook for a few minutes but do not brown.
3. Whisk in the flour to make reux- cook for 3 to 5 minutes whisking constantly- do not let it brown.
4. Whisk in milk and heat until boiling- whisk often, add some fresh ground pepper.
5. Once sauce is thickened remove from heat and set aside (well get back to the this later).
6. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat add 3 Tbs olive oil add onions and slice the remaining garlic into pan sautee for 3 minutes until onion starts to soften.
7. Add peppers, Italian seasoning cook for 5 minutes until Peppers begin to soften.
8. Add cooked Sausage and warm through.
9. Just before vegetable and meat mixture is finished- heat White sauce and stir in the cream, bring up to almost a boil and stir in parmesean and gorgonzola.
10. Stir sauce until most of the gorgonzola is incorportated (lumps of cheese left in the sauce is a good thing!).
11. Check cream sauce for salt add if necessary.
12. In pasta bowls place Penne followed by Pepper onion meat mixture, then spoon on the Gorgonzola sauce, arrange mushrooms and asparagas on top.

Reviews

[Bogey'sMom]

What wonderful comfort food - creamy, rich, full of flavor. This just couldn't be better. A definite keeper.